A/N: This is a one-shot set in between the arrival in L.A. based on a prompt that Rikyl on tumblr: " there was a big time jump from landing in LA to a week passing—maybe a missing scene of Mindy and Danny interacting at the conference or in their hotel?"... So that's what this is. :D Please feel free to leave comments or reviews. I absolutely love hearing what you have to say.
Danny flicked on his television, settling in for his third consecutive night of Westerns and room service. It wasn't all that different from the way he spent his evenings back home. That is, when Mindy didn't barge into his office with some scheme, pulling him inexorably away from his nightly plans. They'd been in L.A. for almost a week, and aside from a few short conversations between seminars and classes he'd had few interactions with her.
He kicked off his shoes, settling on the bed. He'd actually seen this trip as the perfect opportunity to put some space between them. She'd been dating Cliff for three months, and she felt the need to inform him of every little aspect of her new relationship. He hated it, but it was impossible for him to tell her to stop. Somehow he'd become a confidante for her.
He turned the volume up, trying to focus on the black and white images flashing across the screen and not the sudden hollowness pervading him. It worked, somewhat, and he was able to enjoy the drama playing out in front of him.
His momentary relaxation was rudely interrupted by someone banging violently on his door. He smiled. It was ridiculous but he knew exactly who it was. There was no one else in this pit of a city that would seek out his company.
Before he could get to the door, he heard her voice ring out. "Room service, for one Dr. Castellano."
He approached the door but stopped a few feet away. This was moving backwards. He really needed to have some alone time to sort out their relationship. He needed to accept the fact that they were just friends, and he couldn't do that while being distracted by her presence.
She started pounding again. "Come on! Danny open the door. I have a Tom Clancy novel that I bought at the airport gift shop. You can read it while I tell you about my day. Open up!" She started jiggling the door knob. "Peter took off on some Menounos related stalking mission, and I don't even want to know what Morgan is doing with his spare time." She whined. "I have nothing to dooooo."
He caved, swinging the door open. "Mindy, I already have plans." She pushed past him into the room, completely ignoring his statement. "I was going to watch Shane and order room service. I'm sure you're not interested so…" He trailed off. She wasn't paying attention to him at all.
Instead, she was walking curiously around his room, looking around. Finally her eyes lit up, landing on what she was looking for. His shoes. She snatched them up and turned back to him. "Put your shoes on, we're going on an adventure."
He'd let her drag him out of the hotel against his better judgment, wondering idly what her 'adventure' would be. He should have known it would be something celebrity related, but he had no idea it would be something that could land them in jail.
"Mindy." He hissed her name through clenched teeth, trying not to draw any unnecessary attention to them. They were in the middle of nowhere, on the outskirts of some compound/warehouse. The surrounding landscape just a bunch of dirt and dried up bushes.
She ignored him, threading her fingers through the chain link fence, pressing her face up against it to get a better look. "Danny, this is the set of a new Tom Hanks/ Meg Ryan romantic comedy. It's all very hush hush. They haven't even done any press for it yet."
He rolled his eyes. "Then how do you know about it?"
She released her grip and started to walk down the fence line, searching meticulously for some sort of gap to squeeze through. "I follow the set designer's assistant's sister's cousin on twitter. She totally tweeted about a film location in L.A. yesterday, and it matches this description."
Danny followed her reluctantly, keeping his head down. "Are you kidding me? There are no trespassing signs posted everywhere, and you're not even sure if this is the right place? Does this even count as L.A.? What if this is a meth lab or something?"
She snorted. "Oh my god, Danny, I get it, you watch Breaking Bad, you're so cool, and now you know what possible meth labs look like. Relax, this is obviously a film lot." She gestured to the warehouse and the various trucks parked around.
Danny shook his head. "We're in the middle of nowhere trying to break into what looks like an abandoned warehouse. All so you can get a glimpse of Megan Ryan's dressing room? Are you trying to get me killed out here?"
"Danny, you ask me that with alarming regularity. I obviously don't want you dead. Who would tell me about the great depression and deep sea fishing?"
Danny sighed. "I'm sure you could google those things."
She glanced back at him, ignoring his comment. "If there's even a one in one thousand chance that I'm right about this, it'll be worth it. Meg and Tom's love is one of those great loves that you only see once in a generation. I'll be lucky to witness even one moment of it."
He plodded along after her. "You do realize those are characters that they play, and not actually them. They probably can't even stand each other in real life."
That was a mistake. Mindy abruptly stopped, causing a collision when Danny failed to yield. He reached out, placing a hand on her hip to steady her. She snapped her head around. "Take that back, Castellano. Tom and Meg clearly have amazing chemistry that is only magnified by the characters they play. It's only a cruel twist of fate and timing that sees them living separate lives." She punctuated her statements with taps on Danny's chest. "Take. It. Back."
Danny was amused by the fire in her eyes. She was so passionate about the strangest things. Here he was, standing inappropriately close to her, breathing the same air, and all he could think about was how much he just wanted to grab her and devour that passion.
Instead, he pushed her back away from him a couple inches. "Sorry. I take it back." He had the tone of an orderly dealing with a deranged mental patient. The only thing missing was a straitjacket. "They clearly have chemistry, especially in the movie with all the running on new year's eve."
Her eyes widened, and Danny fought the urge to grin. She reached forward and started raining little slaps down on his chest and shoulders. "Danny that wasn't even Tom! Are you being intentionally obtuse, or are you really that clueless?"
Of course he knew it wasn't Tom Hanks, but he found her indignation over his ignorance adorable. He liked it when her eyes got wide, her pupils dilated, and her nostrils flared as he huffed out angry breaths. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in order to regain her composure. "No, no. I don't have time for this. We need to find a way in." She turned around and continued to look for a breach.
She stopped abruptly. "Look." She pointed to the fence in front of her. It was a five foot section that was shorter than the rest. She eyed him thoughtfully. "How strong are you Danny? You have good quads? Good glutes?"
He answered reflexively. "Of course. I go to the gym, regularly. I do squats…" It was only after the words were out of his mouth that he realized what she was asking. "Wait.. no, no, no. That's not gonna happen."
She smiled at him, wheedling she said, "Come ooooon, Danny. Just a quick little boost." She pouted at him, her eyes wide and puppy-like. "Pleeeeeeaase."
Danny couldn't say no to her. It had been impossible to do that for a long time now. He sighed grandiosely and frowned. "Fine."
She squealed excitedly and latched onto the fence, looking back over her shoulder at Danny expectantly. He came up behind her, crouching down making a step with his hands. She stepped in it, and Danny boosted her up, but the momentum took her by surprise and she didn't get her other leg swung over the fence.
She clutched at the chain link while Danny wrapped his arms around her legs at the knees. They were stuck. She tried valiantly to pull herself up to no avail. "Danny. I'm going to fall. Don't let me fall!"
The side of his face was pressed up against her hip, he was panting. "It's only a couple feet, you'll be fine."
He started to lower her down, but she gasped. "No, Danny. We're so close. Just stop being a gentleman and grab my ass and shove me over the top." She tried again to pull herself up, feeling the muscles in her arms quivering. "Now Danny!"
He released her legs, pressing up against her to keep her from falling before placing his palms on her backside and attempting to boost her on over. To say it didn't work would be the understatement of the year. It failed spectacularly.
She let go of the fence, flailing for the top of it, kicking her feet in a paddling motion as if she were swimming. One of her sneakers caught Danny in the chest, sending him sailing to the ground. Mindy followed shortly after, landing squarely on top of him.
Danny lay there in the scrub dazed. She'd completely knocked the breath out of him. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced since childhood. There had been that one time when he'd fallen off a ladder while cleaning out the gutters. At the time he'd thought he'd been dying, and now it felt pretty much the same.
His diaphragm wasn't working. His mouth gaped, opening and closing like a fish out of water. Mindy rolled off of him. She stared down at him, an alarmed look forming on her face. "Oh God, Danny. Are you ok?"
He shook his head, still not able to form words. She leaned forward placing her hands on either side of his face. "Oh god! I've killed Daniel Castellano!"
As she wailed the words, Danny felt his diaphragm begin to work again. He gasped in a thready breath. "Mi—"
She wasn't listening, still wailing. She turned back to him. "Danny, I'll save you. Mouth to mouth. It's the only answer." She leaned down placed her lips on his, pinching his nose.
Danny tried to attribute the trouble he had breathing to the fall, but he knew it would be a while before he could stop thinking about the soft feel of her lips on his. Before she could actually start CPR he grasped her arms and pushed her away. "How did you get through medical school? You just knocked the breath out of me."
She collected herself and got back to her feet, leaning down to help Danny up. "I'll have you know, I did just fine. Top of my class. You just totally freaked me out with your distorted features and gasping for life." Once Danny was back on his feet she adjusted her jacket and looked back at the warehouse through the fence. "I guess almost killing my best friend is a sign that I should give up on this."
Danny was brushing the dirt off of his leather jacket. He stopped mid-motion when he heard her words. Best friend. The wave of warmth that coursed through him was an involuntary thing. He was as powerless against it as the urge to breath, or the beating of his heart. They were friends. He'd known for a long time that she was his best friend, but he was a hermit who got along with few people, so it wasn't all that surprising to him. But her? He'd never been quite sure where he stood with her.
He felt the corner of his mouth twitch up. He couldn't even stay mad at her when she dragged him into ridiculous situations like this. He always resisted, but in the end he came out of their adventures with these stories. He was only beginning to realize that putting distance between them was impossible. She was his go-to person, and he was beginning to feel like maybe he was hers.
He glanced over at her. "Ready to go?"
She nodded, feeling a little miffed that she didn't get to see a possible movie set.
As they walked back to the car, Mindy came up beside him, linking her arm through his. "Can we at least go look at the stars on the Hollywood walk of fame? There might be some D-list celebrity hovering around there star. Tonight might not be a total bust."
She was looking up at him, a pleasant smile on her face. Danny gave up. This was it. He couldn't get rid of her. She'd completely burrowed her way into his heart. Yes, she was with Cliff, and it was painful, but he couldn't let her go as a friend. He nodded in agreement. "Fine."
As they drove along the darkened freeway, Danny found himself hoping these unrequited feelings would fade over time. Hovering at the surface as they were, he was afraid he might do or say something incredibly stupid.